Guest Post by Job Description: Mommy - Is All Children's Sleepwear Treated with Flame Retardant Chemicals?

Click Here for Job Description: Mommy's Full Post on Flame Retardant Chemicals and Children's SleepwearI am honored to feature a guest post today from Job Description: Mommy, one of my very favorite bloggers. I am sharing her post with you all today because I think it's very important to spread awareness about this issue, and Job Description: Mommy has done a fantastic job, as always, of providing the information that we need surrounding this topic. Please see below for her post entitled, "Is All Children's Sleepwear Treated with Flame Retardant Chemicals?"As if we didn't have enough to worry about when it comes to our children's health. Well, get out your list, and add this to it. Laws require that sleepwear for children from 9 months to 14 years be treated with flame retardant chemicals. Most commonly this would be Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE's.What are PBDEs?Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE, are organobromine compounds that are used as flame retardants. Like other brominated flame retardants, PBDEs have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles. They are structurally akin to the PCBs and other polyhalogenated compounds, consisting of two halogenated aromatic rings. PBDEs are classified according to the average number of bromine atoms in the molecule. The health hazards of these chemicals have attracted increasing scrutiny, and they have been shown to reduce fertility in humans at levels found in households. Their chlorine analogs are polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs). Because of their toxicity and persistence, their industrial production is to be eliminated under the Stockholm Convention, a treaty to control and phase out major persistent organic pollutants (POP).(Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polybrominated_diphenyl_ethers)What are the health concerns of PBDEs?PBDEs bioaccumulate in blood, breast milk, and fat tissues (and the environment), impaired development of the nervous system, liver toxicity,disruption of thyroid functions, peer-reviewed studies have shown that even a single dose administered to mice during development of the brain can cause permanent changes in behavior, including hyperactivity, children with higher concentrations of PBDEs in their umbilical cord blood at birth scored lower on tests of mental and physical development between the ages of one and six, Developmental effects were particularly evident at four years of age, when verbal and full IQ scores were reduced 5.5 to 8.0 points for those with the highest prenatal exposures.(Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polybrominated_diphenyl_ethers, and EPA: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pbde/)How can I buy children's pajamas without PBDE's?To continue reading this post and to learn how to buy children's pajamas without PBDE's: Click HereAbout Job Description: MommyMy wonderful guest today is an amazing mama to three children. She writes about her journey through motherhood, and shares excellent information based in extensive reading and research. This mama is a natural, attached mother, but she's created a blog community that is welcoming and informative for all. Her blog has been an incredible resource for my journey through mamahood, and I encourage everyone to join her community.